


Responsibilty

by Anonymous



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, One Shot, Short
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 06:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: A little insight to Billy's way of thinking and why he's such an ass.





	Responsibilty

They all had moved to bumfuck nowhere, aka Hawkins, Indiana, nearly a month after his dad and Susan's wedding. The two had had settled quickly in their new home but the other two occupants...not so much. Billy took a drag of his cigarette, and leaned against his Camaro. It was nearly sundown but he didn't want to go inside yet. He didn't want to deal with...them. 

“You will respect Susan as your mother” his dad had told him,”and be responsible for looking out for Maxine, understood?” Billy could only nod then, knowing there was no room for argument with his father. “They're part of our family now and that means they're ours to protect.” 

Billy let out a big puff of smoke and replayed the words in his head. Ours to protect...ours. He didn't need to protect Susan, it was a given that the responsibility fell to his old man. All Susan would gain from Billy was respect, well the little he could muster. She was nice but... but timid, meek. Not anything like Max. Max was a bitch – a loud mouth, pain in the ass, spitfire. She wasn't his, they shared nothing in common besides residing in the same home, they didn't even share the same last name. Her mother was now a Hargrove, but Max, Max was a Mayfield. And for some reason that just pissed him off. He didn't want to protect her, he didn't want to protect anything. Billy touched a faded scar on his collar bone. No one had ever protected him. 

A minute later Susan poked her head out the front door of their home and waved to Billy. “I thought I spotted you out the window, come inside, I just made spaghetti.”

Billy's jaw ticked at the command but he forced a smile. “Be right there, Susan.” She smiled and disappeared into the house. Billy waited a minute, then tossed his cigarette haphazardly to the side. Dinner did sound good.

A week later Billy had entered his new high school. The school had a different name yet it all felt the same. No real attachments, no real friends, just dumb assholes and pretty broads to waste time with. He had already been crowned the new keg king, and dominated on the basketball court pushing that Harrington off his throne. He was right where he was before he moved to Hawkins. The only things that were different were at home. 

Back in California Billy was hardly ever home, wanting to avoid his dad when it was just them two. Now his father demanded that he at least be home by curfew, and that they should all spend some “family time” together. Billy hated it at first. Family time was usually during the weekday and consisted of Susan cooking supper while Billy and Max were forced to wait in the living room with his dad, watching some dumb game show like Jeopardy or Match Game. During this time his dad would mostly talk to Max, asking about her day and if she liked her teachers etc. At first Billy had been jealous of the attention his father gave to Max, as he spoke to her with genuine warmth. Billy couldn't remember the last time his father spoke to him like that, not since...well, not since his mother. It pissed him off to the point that Billy would punish Max for any slights like being late when he was giving her a ride, or when she'd answer any of his questions with attitude. But in little time, Max had also somehow wormed her way into his world. Instead of being jealous, he'd touch his collarbone and think about how his father hasn't touched him in weeks, as he was less focused on Billy and more preoccupied with Susan...and Max. He could deal with this. 

A couple days passed and once again Billy and Max were housebound as it was another family night. Susan and Neil were out picking up dinner, while in the mean time Max tried to watch some ThunderCats, until Billy walked in and turned the channel.  
“Hey!”Max yelled.

“Piss off shit bird, I need tunes to pump me up.” Billy stated as he settled on MTV which was playing Billy Idol. He then approached his weights. Max rolled her eyes.

“Whatever.” She started to head to her bedroom.

“Get me a drink from the fridge while you're up.”

“Get it yourself.”

“What was that?” The edge in in his tone made Max pause. She knew she could get away with some backtalk but she guessed today wasn't the day to try him, especially as she saw his grip clench around the round tubing. 

“I'll get your freakin' drink.” Max proceeded to the kitchen, got a can from the fridge and returned quickly so as not to make her step brother more pissed off than he already was. Yet as soon as she set it down, he snatched her wrist in a tight grip. She tugged but he only gripped tighter, his eyes hard on her, threatening.

“You're getting awfully brave,”he spoke, voice even, which unsettled Max more than when he'd raise his voice at her, “I think you're forgetting your place, Max.”

“My place?” She questioned, then winced as he twisted her arm slightly. He smirked.

“I'm the older brother, and you do as I say, got it?” Max could only nod, eyes watering but she wouldn't fully cry, not in front of him. “Good.” He then released her and Max scurried to her room, slamming her door. 

Billy rolled his eyes. The kid was annoying as fuck. She had encroached on his territory, his world, and if she wanted to stay in it – which really she had no choice- then she had to know that he was in control. Especially if she was supposed to be his responsibility. Billy then pushed her out of his mind as he focused on lifting his weights until their parents came back with dinner.

Billy felt like a wound up spring, he wanted to break something, he wanted to punch someone, namely the kid that had made Max upset. She denied it, but he had seen Max and the kid argue, the look of hurt on her face. He would never acknowledge it out loud but Max had become a constant in his life. Her bitchy attitude and snarky remarks were connected with this thing called “home”. He had at first resented getting a new mom and sister, but he couldn't imagine home without them now. He didn't want them to leave, if they left it would be just him and his dad, late nights avoiding home, or his dad greeting him with a fist. All his past injuries had finally healed.

But this kid, this damn kid was now starting to encroach on his territory, his sister, his responsibility. He knew his dad would not like the kid as he was colored, and he warned Max as much but she was stubborn. The damn red haired bitch. She had somehow wormed her way into his life and now he had to protect her. She was a part of his world now, they were family, and he'd tear anything apart that threatened that.

**Author's Note:**

> ok so i'll be real, i've only seen parts of stranger things 2 because i'm not really invested in the show but my friend kept going on and on about billy boy and so i became infected with being drawn to that asshole and had to type it out and get rid of this disease. anyway, this is not beta'd and i wrote it in like one go and as i've said, i haven't really watched the series so if things are out of line or whatever, there ya go. i hope it's at least a nice time waster to read. ciao!


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